The Invincible Weasleys
by MBP
Summary: Fred experiences a reality check, but George tries to reassure him. We’re all going to be all right, mate. We’re the Weasleys. We have to be. Easy to say when you can't see the future... ONESHOT


Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

A/N: Well, here was a new idea for a one-shot that just popped in my head when I came across GoF on television today. It will be more resonant if you've read DH, but it contains no spoilers for it.

Harry reappeared with the cup and Cedric, and the Weasley twins exchanged delighted looks.

"He did it!" Fred yelled, and George nodded, his thrilled expression matching his brother's. "Want to go congratulate him, mate?"

There was no need for George to answer; the two were already racing towards Harry when George suddenly came to an abrupt stop. Fred bumped into him and then shoved him.

"Come on. What are you waiting for?"

"Fred," George said slowly, putting out a hand to stop his overly eager brother, "look."

It was the unnaturally serious sound in his twin's normally lighthearted voice that stopped him more forcefully than the hand that was suddenly preventing him from going any further.

"What is it?" he asked, unable to understand what he was seeing – but aware of the fact that George – somehow – already understood.

"It's Cedric," George whispered now, gripping Fred's upper arm tightly. "He's – I think he might be – is he dead?"

Fred started to scoff but then he, too, got a look at what George could not seem to stop staring at. He felt as though someone had poured icy cold water down the back of his jumper, and he knew George could feel the shudder that raced through him. He swallowed hard.

"What should we do?" he whispered, not wanting anyone other than George to hear his suddenly shaky voice. George turned to face him, and Fred knew that the misery in his brother's eyes was a mirror image of his own.

"Maybe we should find Ron and Hermione, and then we can all go to Harry?" he asked quietly. "It looks like Moody's got Harry now anyway."

Fred nodded, unable to speak. He didn't know why he had this lump in his throat; he'd hardly known Cedric after all – but there was something about watching Mr. Diggory sobbing over his son that made him see his father there instead. He shivered again. No use thinking about that.

The two hurried across the Gryffindor section to where Ron stood with Hermione. Tears were streaming down her face, and Ron was patting her shoulder awkwardly, trying very hard not to look at either her or at Cedric. He was failing spectacularly at both, and when his brothers approached, he looked at them with something akin to relief.

"You – you saw?" he asked, his voice unnaturally quiet and strained. Fred just nodded, and George was forced to speak again. This was hitting his twin harder than either of them had expected, and he just picked up the conversational slack. He was used to finishing the sentences, but he knew he had to take the initiative now and start them too.

"Yeah, mate. We saw. Let's get inside. I bet they bring Harry to the hospital wing soon enough. Why don't we just go there and wait?"

Without a word, the four of them trudged slowly up the hill to the castle. They were quickly engulfed by the swarm of students who had been ordered to go back to their common rooms by their Heads of House. The crowd, however, was unusually quiet.

As they walked, Ron kept glancing nervously at Fred. Something was wrong, and it had to be something big because even _he_ could tell. He couldn't usually. Usually, George was the only one who knew when something was bothering his twin. But Fred wasn't able to hide anything right now. Ron knew better than to say anything at the moment, though. Fred probably wouldn't answer him anyway, but if he tried to do talk to him in this huge group of people – well, he shuddered to think of the spiders he'd find in his bed when they got back to the Burrow – or even the dormitory, for that matter.

When they reached the castle, Ron, Hermione, Fred and George split off from the rest of the group and made their way to the hospital wing. The corridor in which they found themselves was deserted, and it was here that Ron finally worked up the courage. He pushed Hermione slightly so she was between Fred and George, and then he made his way to Fred's other side. After a moment of just walking in silence, he muttered, "You okay, mate? You looked kind of pale back there."

Fred didn't answer at first, and Ron had pretty much convinced himself that this was a stupid idea, that Fred always only talked to George, that it was dumb to even think he should ask how he was doing, when Fred mumbled, "Did you see Mr. Diggory?"

They all heard him, and George and Ron both turned to stare at him. Hermione glanced at each of their faces and quickly realized that this might not be a moment of which she should be a part.

"I'll just – I'll meet you in the hospital wing," she stuttered and dashed off down the hall without another word. The silence she left in her wake was strained, to say the least.

Ron was still staring at Fred, concern written plainly on his face, but George was looking at his twin with more understanding than Fred could handle. He tried to turn away, but George grabbed his arm and turned him back more forcefully than he expected.

"It won't ever be any of us, ok?" he said firmly. Fred stared at him.

"You can't know that," he said softly, his voice wavering. He wanted to kick himself when he saw Ron's mouth fall slightly open at the sound. He refused to look at his little brother and instead focused all of his attention on George.

"Yes, I can," George said firmly. "I won't let it be any of us, ok? And neither will you. Between the two of us, I'm pretty sure we can keep everyone safe and make sure that _that_ is never – is _never_ – Dad. Ok?"

Fred swallowed hard. He nodded. "Ok," he whispered, and then he didn't know what had come over him because George had stepped forward to put his hands on his shoulders, and now he was hugging him more tightly than he ever had before, his face buried in his shoulder.

"We're all going to be all right, mate. We're the Weasleys. We have to be," George whispered, and Fred nodded against his shoulder.

"I know," he choked out. He took a deep shuddering breath and in a louder voice said, "And Ron, if you tell anyone about this, you can be sure that you'll soon have more roommates, and each of _them_ will have more than two legs a piece."

Ron made a muffled noise of agreement, and Fred and George slowly let go of each other and turned to face their younger – and aggravatingly taller – brother.

"You sure you know?" Fred asked, and the ghost of a smile appeared on his face when Ron paled.

Fred and George turned to each other, and now George smiled too. "Yeah," George remarked conversationally as they started walking again, "he knows."


End file.
